60
DreamWorks Animation’s most heartfelt series bows out with a beautifully designed finale, but the long-awaited emotional goodbyes for its beloved central duo don’t quite soar.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
75
The animation itself is striking — an early sequence in which the sky is filled with dragons is an early sign of the visual treats to come — and ends up being the film’s highlight.
80
The Hollywood Reporter by Michael Rechtshaffen
Pulling off a rare three-peat, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is a tender, spirited coming-of-age CG-animated feature that proves every bit as emotionally resonant and artistically rendered as its 2010 and 2014 predecessors, if not even more so.
80
One of the decade’s most accomplished fantasy sagas signs off with a finale that’s exciting, moving and fabulous to look at.
40
The Guardian by Peter Bradshaw
All the fire and lifeblood of this idea has been sucked out and we are left with something bland.
90
Here, the visuals outdo anything we’ve seen before, to such a degree that we might almost overlook the subtler innovations in the character animation: the nuances of expression on both the human and reptilian faces, and the wonderful nonverbal tactics these artists use to convey emotional intricacies neither Hiccup nor Toothless have had to communicate before, all of which pays off in an unforgettable final scene.
80
As DeBlois engineers this tale towards an expectedly exciting and poignant conclusion, one realizes how well that cleverly misdirecting title How to Train Your Dragon has morphed from literal to figurative, from being about command and obeisance to handling the turmoil within.
80
The film’s coming-of-age story might remain familiar, its emotional arc may be broad, and its messages about self-belief and taking chances fall into the tried-and-tested camp, but DeBlois still builds an engaging, sincere and tender world brimming with depth and detail.
80
The Observer (UK) by Wendy Ide
There’s a new maturity both in the character and in the storytelling that makes this final film in the trilogy take wing.